1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combination dryer that blows air onto a user's hands and face to dry them and thereafter dispenses a single paper towel to finish the drying process.
2. Background of the Prior Art
One of the tasks performed during a visit to a public bathroom is washing the hands and face. After washing, the hands and face must be dried. The drying process is performed in one of three general ways: cloth towels; paper towels; and air dryers.
Cloth towels usually are the best performers in the drying field. They tend to remove the most water and dampness from the user's skin. However, the use of cloth towels in a public bathroom setting presents the most problems.
For sanitary reasons, towels cannot be reused and each person must be provided with a fresh towel. This involves giving each person either a new independent towel or the use of the a towel roll, wherein a continuous towel is stored on a roller and the user pulls down a fresh section. The former is prohibitively expensive while the latter, perceived as less than completely sanitary, has fallen into disfavor. Therefore, the use of cloth towels has disappeared from all but the most exclusive settings.
The use of paper towels is a suitable alternative to the use of cloth towels. Paper towel dispensers give each person a fresh clean sheet of paper to dry the hands and face. After use, the paper towel is simply discarded. Several different types of paper towel dispensers are available.
The problem with paper towel dispenser is cost, both of the towel and of disposal. Generally, several sheets of paper towels are required in order to completely dry the hands and face. With each patron using several sheets, the costs of providing the paper towels and thereafter disposing of the discarded towels, can be quite large, especially in high volume areas such as hotels, restaurants, and airports.
A second problem with paper towel dispensers is that the user will tend to withdraw more paper than is required. This is not only a waste of scarce resources, it also further increases system costs.
In order to control costs of hand and face drying, many establishments use air dryers. These devices blow air, usually heated, onto the user's hands and face for a fixed period of time, usually a few seconds. Recent improvements in this art, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,337 issued to Pilolia et. al., provide automatic on and off control for the units.
While this drying method eliminates the need for costly paper towels, it leaves the user less than completely satisfied. After using such a device, a person's skin is still damp. In order for the device to completely dry the skin, the device must be used for an extended period of time. Most people are not willing to wait this length of time. Although the air dryers are economical, they suffer from low user satisfaction.
There is a definitive need for a public bathroom hand and face dryer that is both economical and which leaves the user satisfied and feeling dry. Such a device should be inexpensive to build and maintain.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,523 issued to Goldstein provides a combination drying unit that dispenses both heated air and sheets of C-shaped towels. The Goldstein device fails to provide for the use of the more conventional paper towel rolls.